8 Over-the-Top Cocktails With Crazy Ingredients

By Patty LeeJuly 18, 2014By Patty Lee | July 18, 2014

Photo by: Kasey Patterson

There are times that call for a classic cocktail — like a perfectly balanced old-fashioned or a refreshing mint julep — and then there are moments that warrant an over-the-top drink. Around the country (and also across the pond), bartenders are following the motto of "Go big or go home," concocting a variety of cocktails that are anything but understated.

At Macdonald Manchester Hotel’s meat-centric restaurant, diners can chase down their steak with an equally beefy drink. The Whisky Steak cocktail comes with a slice of 21-day-aged sirloin to dunk into the mix of Monkey Shoulder scotch, homemade rosemary syrup and black pepper.

Typical cocktail garnishes: citrus strips, olives...and a whole baby octopus? The tentacled creature made its way into this rum-and-stout drink thanks to what inspired it — a Japanese piece of art that features (you guessed it) an octopus.

Why order appetizers and drinks separately when they can come together in one giant boozy goblet? The Dock's over-the-top Bloody Mary ($99) features more than enough food — including a mini Wagyu burger, full lobster tail, slices of seared steak and edamame pods — to feed an entire table.

Jet-setters can wait out flight delays in style at Petrossian's caviar-and-bubbles bar located inside LAX. To make the aptly named High Society ($24), bartenders blend together gin, elderflower liqueur, rosewater and lemon juice, then rim the glass with caviar powder.

The NoMad's swanky new bar pours several drinks using rare and vintage liquors, including a $198 glass of Vieux Carré made with 50-year Grande Champagne Cognac. The hard-to-find spirit boasts an intense, cask-strength flavor, especially when paired with an overproof rye by Thomas H. Handy Sazerac.

This Downtown restaurant-slash-nightclub is giving bottle service a whole new meaning. Featuring Pavan liqueur, club soda, strawberries and oranges, the shared cocktail ($145) arrives at the table in a giant trifle bowl with an overturned bottle of Moët Champagne.